TEHRAN (CHN) – The first hotel of Kandovan cliff village which will be the first cliff hotel in Iran will open in September 2006.

According to Mehdi Jahangiri, managing director of Iran’s Tourism Development Organization, Kandovan cliff hotel is the first of its kind in Iran and the second in the world. The first one was built in Turkey.

“Two months ago, I paid a visit to Tabriz together with the deputy director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. During this trip we noticed that those cliff houses in Kandovan village that are in possession of the Organization enjoy a great potential to be turned into a hotel. Later we dispatched a team of experts from Iran’s Tourism Development Organization to the area to prepare the plan for this project. We have not estimated the expenses yet; however, the beauty and the unique characteristics of this hotel are worth the investment, “said Jahangiri.

Kandovan Village is situated 65 kilometers south of Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province, and dates back to at least 800 years ago. Locating in a cliff area, this village enjoys a unique architectural style. At first glance at this village, one sees some sharp conical diggings with a hole on their surface. Inside each cone, some rooms can be seen which were used as dining room, kitchen, storage place and even stable. In addition to residential houses, two mosques with stone pillars and also more than a hundred barns have been dug in the cones. Each cone is consisted of two to four floors.

Inauguration of this hotel is an important initiative in attracting tourists to this part of the country.

To view pictures of Kandovan village, visit www.chnphoto.ir.